There is not Google Chrome on AndroidTV
For a long time Android TV users on TVs may feel the lack of a web browser dedicated to this system. When I bought the TV almost 4 years ago, the web browser was the default application installed on the system. Later it was hidden and its installation took place only from a level, e.g. a computer (using a Google account also configured on the TV). Currently, Google Chrome can no longer be installed unless we use the .apk file.
If you’re looking at the Google Play store on your device, you’ll find several third-party Android TV browsers listed, but Google Chrome is not. Can you install Chrome on an Android TV?
Why did Google remove Google Chrome from AndroidTV?
It’s difficult to find the answer to the question on the Internet: where is Google Chrome for AndroidTV. There is simply no browser and I have never found information from Google why they did it. I can only assume what could have been the reason for deleting Google Chrome:
- Google Chrome for Android is adapted to support all websites and touch support. On Android TV there were problems with opening some content, and the browser was operated using a remote control, which was not the most convenient.
- Google removed a program that was not popular enough to further develop its functions under AndroidTV. Despite the huge interest in internet browsers on TVs, they were probably not as popular as we think
- Google Chrome is the most popular browser and its popularity is also Google password search. Turning off Google Chrome has allowed you to exclude many searches that may have been inconvenient for Google or the TV manufacturer,
- AndroidTV is limited to applications (by default) that are compatible with this system. Support for many VOD services was to be carried out by applications controlled by Google and installed on the TV. Having Google Chrome (or any other browser) means that users have access to much more content, and this could affect relationships with Google partners or access to content and applications that Google would not want to promote on TVs,
- Having a browser opens up much more possibilities to download various files directly to the TV’s memory, including installation files .apk of various applications from outside Google Play
Some of the above-mentioned arguments relate directly to Google Chrome, e.g. taking care of the browser’s functionality and its simple operation. Most of them relate to the possession and use of a web browser on a TV in general.
By turning off access to Google Chrome, which is the most popular, many users will automatically stop using any browser and will not look for alternatives to Google Chrome.
The lack of Google Chrome will cause that many users will completely give up searching for prohibited content and applications, recognizing that the lack of Google Chrome on Android TV is synonymous with the lack of any browser dedicated to this system.
All these reasons are just guesses. Google Chrome, although not very convenient to use with the TV remote control, still worked well. In Google Play market for Android TV we will still find many other alternatives to Google Chrome that are fully compatible with AndroidTV.